1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to garment display structures of the type having an elongate, horizontally directed rail for supporting a plurality of garments on hangers and, more particularly, to a security device for minimizing theft by prohibiting unauthorized separation of the garments from the display structure.
2. Background Art
The garment industry is particularly vulnerable to theft. The large number of thefts in the retail garment industry continues to impose a tremendous financial burden on the purveyors of those garments. The cost of stolen merchandise is ultimately passed on to the consumer by increasing the cost of the garments.
Most garments are placed on hangers supported on racks for permitting ready access to the garments at the point of purchase. The garments are commonly removed by potential purchasers who place the garments on to check for size and appearance. Commonly, the potential purchaser is unattended during this exercise. In high volume operations, it is difficult for store personnel to keep track of the individual garments. The result is that thieves often walk off with stolen garments without there even being a suspicion of the theft.
A number of different techniques have been developed in the garment industry to keep track of higher price garments, such as furs, at the point of purchase. One particularly effective system has been developed by Se-Kure Controls, Inc., the assignee of all rights in and to the present invention. Se-Kure Controls, Inc. has for many years sold a device which it identifies in the marketplace as the KOAT LOCK.TM. security device. The KOAT LOCK.TM. security device has been constructed from a single piece of hardened wire. The wire is formed with a large hoop at one end, a U-shaped bend at its opposite end, and a straight piece connecting therebetween. The U-shaped end is directed upwardly through the garment sleeve and is hung on an elongate rail which supports hangers for the garments. The legs of the U project beneath the rail. One leg of the U has a chain link connected thereto. The shackle of a padlock can be extended through the link and around the other leg to define a closed loop which prohibits removal of the U-shaped end from the rail. The hoop on the opposite end of the device prevents the garment sleeve from being slid off of the device which would then allow the garment to be separated from the display stand. The only way the garment can be removed intact is to unlock the padlock and then separate the security device, with the garment thereon, from the rail.
While the KOAT LOCK.TM. security device has proven to be very effective, it requires that both ends of the elongate rail on which the garments are supported, be constructed so that the security device cannot be shifted lengthwise off of the free end of the rail. This problem is encountered in a number of conventionally available garment display structures, particularly those which support the rail in cantilever fashion in either a horizontal orientation or in a "waterfall"-type of display rack, in which the rail is inclined downwardly. In this latter construction, upwardly projecting knobs/lugs are provided on the rail to abut the individual hangers and thereby prevent sliding of the hangers off of the rail. Consequently, absent some modification to the cantilever-type rails, the KOAT LOCK.TM. security device cannot be effectively used.